The Top 7... Games we want announced at E3 2011

By next week, these rumors had better be reality

Next week, rumors will become realities. Next week, the face of gaming for the foreseeable future will be set. Next week, our hopes and dreams will be either confirmed or crushed. Next week, everything changes.

Okay, a bit overdramatic, maybe – especially since this monumental moment of reveal happens once every year. But even in an age of internet leaks and competing conferences, E3 is still incredibly exciting and still has the potential to be incredibly surprising.

What announcements are you hoping the industry has in store this show? These are ours – tell us yours in the comments below. (And if you’re wondering where games like GTA V or Half-Life 3 are, we’ve probably already covered them here, here, or here.)

7) Dance Central
2

It hasn’t been a year since the Kinect was released, and if you were one of the 10 million who purchased one there’s an excellent chance that the one game you’re still playing is Dance Central. While we cannot deny the joy we get from calling out the names of moves while trying to get down to “Teach Me How To Jerk”, we realize there were some glaring omissions that prevented this really good dance game from being a really great dance game. And, with the continued success of Kinect, it only makes sense that it’s best game so far comes out with a sequel sooner rather than later.

A widely reported Dance Central 2 survey hit earlier this year, so we know Harmonix already has their gears turning for the next round. A real multi-player option, rather than the tag-team style battle mode, a more detailed break it down section to allow you to practice a specific moves at your own pace, a scored freestyle section and even a create your own choreography option were just some of the features that were presented in it. We’ve got our dancing shoes waiting, Harmonix, here’s hoping you’ll be saving us space on the dance floor at E3 this year.

6) Halo: Combat
Remade

Were you hoping to see Bungie’s secretive next game listed in our countdown? Don’t blame us for your disappointment – the developer confirmed earlier this month that it would definitely not have a presence at E3 2011. Besides, if the persistent (though officially denied) rumors of an MMO turn out to be true, we’re automatically a lot less interested in that particular reveal.

Ironically, a game Bungie made almost a decade ago – the possible remake of 2001’s Halo: Combat Evolved by 343 Industries – is what has us more excited. The original’s campaign is still the most satisfying, and the story the most comprehensible, of the entire franchise. Only a lack of online multiplayer and the repetitive nature of later levels (*cough* Library *cough) keep the first Halo from achieving modern masterpiece status, but both could be easily addressed during the upgrade. Do we even need to mention the obvious appeal of experiencing these classic moments and maps with graphic as good as, if not better than, those in Halo: Reach? Master Chief and Cortana, who haven’t appeared in a game since 2007, should theoretically look the best they’ve ever looked.